Ranked 80th
Fr Vaz began his talk by speaking about the current pandemic and how it had forced people to become creative, risk taking, and forward looking. He questioned whether we are still in the fear zone or we have risen to the learning zone.
Fr Vaz went on to say that irrespective of one’s calling, our ultimate purpose is to bring joy to others by loving and serving them. Then the concept of Ikigai was explained. “Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means ‘a reason for being’. The word refers to having a purpose in life, that which makes one’s life worthwhile, and which gives satisfaction and a sense of meaning to life,” he said. He advised the participants to make a list of things they are good at, passionate about, what they could be paid for and what the world needs today to come to a conclusion to find ones purpose.
Later, Fr Vaz explained 10 ways in which one could build resilience: “Make connections, avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems, accept that change is a part of living, move towards your goals, take decisive actions, look for opportunities for self discovery, nurture a positive view of yourself, keep things in perspective, maintain a hopeful outlook and take care of yourself.”
The webinar was followed by a very interesting and healthy discussion on coping with challenges of the pandemic. Several questions were raised and Fr Vaz answered them with great clarity and experience.
Earlier, Dr Rowena Wright, Dean (Academics) introduced and welcomed the resource person and the participants. Dr Rajani Suresh proposed the vote of thanks. This webinar was attended by nearly 350 participants from across the country. The webinar was coordinated by Mr Clifford D’Costa, and Fr Joy Rodrigues SJ moderated the session.
